Pages of Interest

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Interview with Susan Winters

Can you
give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

What do you do when your Prince Charming turns out to be
toad—is the premise behind Ever After. Roz and Eden, childhood best friends who
have drifted apart re-kindle their friendship when they each find themselves at
a marital crossroads.

Do you
have a favorite character?

Eden’s mother, Ann, is one of my favorite characters. She
was so much fun to write because she says whatever is on her mind.Eden is very reserved, but finds
herself caught between two generations of fierce determination, an opinionated
mother and her own stubborn young daughter. Ann was so strong-willed I had to
be careful not to let her dominate the novel.

Are you
currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you
have manuscripts that you will self-publish? Are you doing both?

Two of my romances are published
with The Wild Rose Press under my pen name, Mariposa Cruz. Both of my chick-lit
titles are self-published under Susan Winters.Through my romance writer colleagues, I have been referred
to wonderful folks for editing, formatting and cover design services, so for my
future manuscripts I will self-publish.

What
factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?

After collecting several favorable rejection letters, I
realized my novella, Mixed Blessings would be a better
fit as an e-book.Ever
After is my second self-published title.While working with a small press has been a positive
experience, I have really enjoyed being directly involved in the production of
my books.

If you
used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the
creative process for your cover?

I was referred to Harris Chandler by a mutual author friend.
I gave Harris the frog prince graphic, the book blurb and told her I’d like a
cover similar to one she did with vector characters.With those general parameters, she produced an amazing cover
that fits the story perfectly.

Did you
hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?

I was referred to an excellent editor who provided an
initial first chapter edit as sample of her style.I think the sample edit was helpful for us to get to know
each other prior to being locked into a large project.

What kinds
of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for
promoting your book(s)?

Do you
find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and
writing your next book?

Yes, whenever I’m working on one I always feel like I’m
neglecting the other.Maintaining
two separate blogs is also a challenge. Since I have longer blocks of time
during the weekend, I focus on my current WIP on the weekends. During the
evenings after work I write and upload blog posts.

What
advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing
arena?

The good news is that there are so many opportunities and
resources available for self-published authors.But it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the vast variety of
choices—do you hire someone to do editing, formatting, cover design, blog tours
or do you try to do it all yourself?

Think very carefully about what is the best use of your
strengths and resources.

Besides
writing, do you have any other passions?

Like Roz from Ever After, I love to
cook and experiment with new recipes. My most recent passion is salsa dancing,
the music is so sexy. For a writer it’s wonderful because there are so many
stories out there on the dance floor.In fact, my current WIP is a contemporary romance set in the Reno salsa
scene.

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